Handball Goalkeeper Match Analysis With VideObserver

When it comes to handball goalkeeper match analysis – there is no time off for dedicated coaches! 🙂 There are always video materials from the previous matches to be reviewed, or video analysis and preparation for the incoming matches.

For me, the first few months of this year are filled with Finnish female and male youth, junior and senior national team camps and training matches. So I have been on the road most of the time. But we all gathered a lot of experience and interesting moments from all those trips!

Coaching 6 different age groups of national teams at the same time (as I am doing at the moment, and I have been doing for a few years) means that I need to do a lot of work, and I need to be very well organized. Especially during competition weeks.

An interesting fact is that for goalkeeper coaches, head coaches and assistant coaches, the work never stops during the competitions! There is a lot of fun, dedicated, and hard work before and after every match with video analysis, shooting maps, positioning maps, slow motion clips of the most important patterns and movements, tactical approach, video editing tools, cooperation with defense, statistics, contemplation, analysis, analysis, analysis…

Many of you have asked a lot of times about what do I use for my video analysis work. For now, my favorite tools in this work are Smart Coach from Videobserver, Adobe Premiere Pro and Coach Paint from Chyron Hego.

I do love trying out new programs, software, ways to do and organize goalkeepers statistics, preparational shooting maps, and the summary of the main points for goalkeepers based on the whole video analysis. 

VideObserver – Video Analysis Software

Here is the basic preview of how some of the collected analysis information look like in the VideObserver:

Summary of positions from which shots were executed is very helpful for coaches during the game, visually, as an information for where the opponents are scoring the most. Or where the defence is the weakest. This is what VO offers in live analysis, as well as in post match video analysis.

In VideObserver, the preview or received, defended, or missed shots is available as a heat map as well, which is helpful in visual viewing and focus.

During my long term cooperation and contribution with people from VideObserver, on my suggestion, we have developed an option for choice of different kinds of shots for goalkeepers and goalkeeper coaches.

So the available shot options are: shot while player is falling, standing hip shot, running step shot, and a jump shot:

Available outcomes of shots are: goal, save, missed, or a block:

This was another addition to the software that I have suggested, and it is to track what kinds of shots players like to execute. The options are: direct (or a normal shot), showtime (which would be a lob, a spin, “kempa”, or any other trick shot), and a bounce shot.

Bounce shots can be very challenging, so it’s a good insight for a goalkeeper coach, or for a goalkeeper to know which players favor these kinds of shots.

Another useful feature that I suggested, and that VideObserver implemented was to track good and bad short or long passes which goalkeepers make during matches.

This was a short presentation of VideObserver, just to give you some idea about how this software looks like.

In the end, the most important is to do video analysis, it doesn’t really matter exactly which software, program or tool we will use. What matters is to deliver the most important info to our goalkeepers before or after matches.

The Importance of Video Analysis Before and After Matches

Video analysis is an invaluable tool for handball goalkeepers, both as a preparatory measure before matches and as a reflective tool afterwards.

Before Matches – Strategic Preparation and Mental Readiness

Identifies Opponents’ Tendencies: Analyzing videos of upcoming opponents helps goalkeepers understand their shooting styles, favored moves, and penalty techniques, allowing for specific defensive strategies.
Enhances Tactical Understanding: Goalkeepers can study team formations and attacking patterns, which will enable them better anticipation and positioning during the game.
Boosts Confidence: Familiarity with opponents’ strategies can increase a goalkeeper’s confidence, contributing to a stronger mental state entering the match.

After Matches – Performance Improvement and Tactical Growth

Facilitates Self-Reflection: Post-match analysis allows goalkeepers to review their performance with their goalkeeper coaches, highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement.
Improves Decision-Making: Reviewing critical moments from the game helps understand decision-making processes under pressure, offering insights into how to react in future scenarios.
Strengthens Coach-Goalkeeper Feedback: Video analysis provides concrete examples for coaches to discuss with goalkeepers, making feedback sessions more productive and focused on specific improvement areas.

In summary, video analysis serves as a critical component in a handball goalkeeper’s development and game preparation. It bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, enabling goalkeepers to optimize their performance, improve their tactical understanding, and continuously grow from one game to the next.

If you want to read another article I wrote on the same topic, please check out this link: The Importance of Video Analysis for Handball Goalkeepers.

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